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Toddler & Primary Program - Curriculum
Our Toddler Montessori classrooms are simpler and slower paced than the classroom for three to six year olds. Tables and chairs are smaller and the teacher-child ratio is lower. The materials are specifically structured to meet the developmental needs of toddlers.
Our Primary Montessori multi-age classrooms have children between 3 and 6 years of age working together in a large family-type atmosphere. Children are able to learn from each other and learn because of each other. Younger children have the opportunity to see the older children's more advanced, challenging work and more mature, responsible behavior. Similarly, the older children benefit from being role models and from reinforcing their own learning by teaching others.
This specially prepared environment for young children is designed to support their need for purposeful activity. The atmosphere is positive, supportive, and non-competitive.
Exercises of Practical Life
The purpose of the Practical Life exercises is to teach respect for one's self, other living things, and the environment. In addition, these activities develop the skills and attitudes necessary to do work in all areas of the curriculum.
Practical life exercises are composed of many parts done in a specific sequence that help teach the child independence and order. These exercises are designed to perfect the child's eye-hand coordination, gradually lengthen his/her attention span, and allow him/her to gain a sense of independence as he/she works.
Sensorial Materials
A young child meets the world around him/her through the constant use of all five senses. Each of the Sensorial Materials isolates one of the senses into a category such as color, weight, size, shape, texture, sound, smell, etc. The materials emphasize a particular quality while eliminating or minimizing the others. This allows the young child to concentrate on one sense at a time (e.g. visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) without having so much sensory input that he cannot respond to any of it.
Mathematical Materials
After observing that a child who becomes interested in counting likes to touch or move the items as he enumerates them, Dr. Montessori designed concrete materials to represent all types of quantities. By combining this equipment, separating it, sharing it, counting it, and comparing it, the child can demonstrate to himself/herself the basic operations of mathematics.
The child in a Montessori class does not sit down to memorize addition and subtraction facts. Rather, he discovers these facts by actually performing the operations with concrete materials.
Language Materials
These are activities by which the child phonetically acquires the basic skills for complete writing and reading. At a very early age the child develops an understanding of the parts of speech, oral expression, creative writing, interpretative reading and appreciation of prose and poetry.
Reading instruction begins on the day when a child wants to know what a word says or when he shows an interest in using Sandpaper Letters. Writing - or the construction of words using the movable letters - nearly always precedes reading in a Montessori environment. By doing many reading exercises that offer variety rather than monotonous repetition, gradually the child learns irregular words, and words with two or three syllables. Proceeding at his own pace, the child is encouraged to read about things which interest him.
In a Montessori class, a child is introduced to grammar by games which show him that nouns are names of things, adjectives describe nouns, and verbs are action words.
Science and Nature
In science the child's natural curiosity is stimulated through discovery projects and experiments, which enables the child to draw her own conclusions. The plant and animal kingdoms are studied in an orderly fashion to foster a love and appreciation for all living things.
Geography
The large wooden maps are among the most popular activities in the classroom. At first the child uses the maps simply as puzzles. Gradually he learns the names of many of the countries as well as information about culture, climate, and landmarks. The maps illustrate many geographical facts concretely. The child also learns about common land and water formations such as islands, peninsulas, isthmi, gulfs and straits.
Arts and Crafts, Music and Creative Movement
Art in the Montessori environment strives to maintain the great joy that the child finds in creating something of her own. The child is encouraged to explore her imagination and apply artistic principles in other areas of the curriculum. For example, an original story could be appropriately illustrated, or a child could use calligraphy to do work in Mathematics. The music and creative movement program is an ongoing flexible process that integrates itself into the academic program of LePort Schools.
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